Following the death of Don Van Vliet last week, musicians have united to praise the man better known as Captain Beefheart. Tom Waits, Zola Jesus and Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos are among those to issue tributes. "He drew in the air with a burnt stick," Waits said. "He described the indescribable."

Many artists took to Twitter to pay their respects. "We wish you safe passage and return," said Akron/Family. "Will be missed by all fans across the globe," added the Zutons' Dave McCabe. "There was only ever one Captain Beefheart," wrote Billy Bragg, while Alex Kapranos called Van Vliet's work "very much" an influence. Ahmet Zappa, son of Frank Zappa, recalled a phone call with Van Vliet a few years ago. "He asked me: 'What about a platypus in a briefcase?'"

Nika Roza Danilova, who records as Zola Jesus, was more elaborate in her response: "Nothing [Van Vliet] did was a mistake," she wrote. "There were no accidents in his music. Only sheer invention, passion. Dear God, why does the world keep losing such important people? Who will fill their shoes? My heart is heavy for you, Don Van Vliet." And in an obituary for the Wall Street Journal, musician Gary Lucas, a former member of the Magic Band, remembered his friend's strange genius. "Don Van Vliet was an American maverick visionary genius who single-handedly changed the face of music," he wrote. "I never met anyone remotely like him."

Tom Waits told the LA Timesthat Van Vliet was "an underground stream and a big yellow blimp". "He was like the scout on a wagon train. He was the one who goes ahead and shows the way. He was a demanding bandleader, a transcendental composer (with emphasis on the dental), up there with Ornette [Coleman], Sun Ra and Miles [Davis] ... I will miss talking to him on the phone. We would describe what we saw out of our windows. He was a rememberer. He was the only one who thought to bring matches. He's the alpha and the omega. The high water mark. He's gone and he won't be back." Last week, it was announced that Waits is to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Captain Beefheart was never nominated.